Choices
by ElfArrow
Summary: Sasuke is still pure...if that should happen, would you be able to stop him? could you weigh Sasuke's life against Konoha?" The decision Naruto made.


**Oh wow, here we go. ****Steph, this is only for you, I didn't even ****want**** to write fan fiction. Although…it does feel good to write something. All the same;**

**Have a Happy Birthday.**

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He sped through the dense forest at lightning speed, feet barely touching the branches as he flew by. If anyone were to watch, they would only see a flicker of colour, and dismiss it as a figment of imagination, their mind playing tricks in the dull gloom.

But he headed forward with a single objective. He made this journey once a year, always alone. He didn't know why he travelled so far, or why he forbade his followers from coming with him, but he did, and after five years, it had become habit.

His breakneck pace came to a sudden, but perfectly controlled halt upon coming to the border of the forest. He surveyed the view, a town, perfectly still, nestled in the green and brown of the surrounding cliffs. And a perfectly shaped black stone, cutting through the middle of it all. Same as ever, and as the first drops of cold rain started to fall, he turned his blank face to the sky, closed his eyes, and waited.

An hour later, she finally came. He was sitting with his back against a tree, soaking wet when he opened his eyes once more. He watched her climb the gentle slope, her bright clothes clearly visible through the misty air. He knew where she was heading, the same as every other year, so he wasn't surprised when she came to the black stone and stopped.

He didn't move as he watched her kneel in front of the stone, completely ignoring the light rain as it settled like a mist around her. She stayed as she was for near a minute and he knew that then she started talking.

She sighed.

"Do you reckon he still thinks we don't know?" she inquired of the black rock, as if expecting an answer. She shook her head.

"So, today's the day the whole town plus some comes to say hi." She laughed, "I don't know if we can fit everyone on this hill, Konoha's grown this past year, you know. All our friends seem to be marrying each other; a new mother leaves the hospital, only for another to come in within days. Looks like people are finally moving on, doesn't it?"

"And, as you might be able to see, the town's finally been rebuilt! Even the tower is done, and it looks so good. The gates are whole again, and the houses are new. It seems like we've replaced everything." She smiled, "everything except this stone of course. It still has all the original names carved in it. Seems like our heroes are the one thing this town will never let go of."

She titled her head to the side, "How does that feel? The ones who wanted you dead before you could even walk wouldn't reject your name if the world was falling to pieces all around them. But I loathe the fact that it took them so long to realize what you do for them. I wish you didn't have to do what you did just so they would respect your name."

"But at least I know that's not why you did it, you did it to save them, to try and save him." She sighed "I almost wish you hadn't, if it meant you were still alive. But I can't hate them, can I? Or him. I know you forgive him, so how could I possibly hate him?"

"That's the thing though, isn't it? You forgive him, and we both know that, but does he know? Does he know that he's one of the few things you'd come back for if you could? Maybe that's why he always leaves first, maybe he's afraid of being alone with you." She resisted the urge to look back at him, she knew he was there.

"Does he seriously think we haven't noticed him there? Although, he does only come once a year, but it's always on the same day, at the same time." She sighed

"You know, don't you? You know why. I hope he has a good reason." She said nothing for a while as she thought.

"But I suppose that's your business, you can explain when we see each other again. Until then, I still miss you, and so does everyone else, especially all the rookies," she giggled "half of which are jounin now."

She smiled sadly, "but mostly me, my best friend is gone, and the guy I loved, my old teammate was the one that sent him away from me."

She rose to her feet, "I've got to leave you again, I have to go get ready for the ceremony, so I'll be back with the whole population of Konoha plus some in a couple of hours." She smiled "Goodbye."

She turned towards the trees, directing her last smile towards the one she knew was there, before walking away in the light drizzle.

He watched her walk away from where he hid in the trees. He knew she thought he was gone, like he had done for the past 5 years. But this time he stayed.

He knew no-one else would walk up the little hill again for hours yet, so he calmly walked out towards the memorial stone. He wasn't sure why he still came, or why it seemed to mean so much to him, but it did.

He stopped before the stone and dropped the rose at its base. The woman had dropped it, he was only putting it in its place. But a trace of surprise flickered across his face to see two roses at the foot of the stone.

He directed his eyes upwards again to read the long list of names carved into the perfectly polished surface of stone. He looked at the reason he was there, the name that was so celebrated by the very people who had hated it with the ferocity of the sun. The name of the one who saved those people from being crushed by the man before it right now.

He looked to the sky once more. He knew it always rained on this day, no matter where in the world it was. He understood that one thing about all this; that the sun didn't ever shine on the anniversary of his death.

He stood still as a statue for another five minutes, and then his soft voice settled on the stone like the rain around it.

"Goodbye." He paused "and Happy Birthday."

Then he turned and disappeared into the forest.

He didn't look back once.

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**A/N****. For goodness sakes. That took a ridiculously long time for just a little over two pages, but it was done in one night, I guess. **

**Sorry if I made you sad, Stephi, I know I hold the ability to depress you XD**

**And if anyone needs an explanation of events, feel free to leave a review or a personal message; I'm not quite sure if it makes sense to anyone but me. T.T**

**sigh it's actually good to be writing again…be careful, I might come back with a vengeance. **

**Love you all,**

**ElfArrow**


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